Video: Solo sailor fights off pirates after attack off Colombia

A GoFundMe page has been launched for Magnus Reslow, 64, a Swedish single-handed sailor who was attacked by pirates off the coast of Colombia, before fighting them off with a hammer and emergency flares.

Reslow (pictured above) is a low-budget sailor who has been living on boats for 30 years, sailing worldwide using a school atlas and handheld GPS for navigation.

On 29 December 2023, his boat was invaded three times by pirates, around five miles off the city of Barranquilla in Columbia.

In an interview given to the YouTube channel Sailing Dilly-Dally, Reslow recalls how “they came aboard my boat, and they were stealing things … then they were beating me with wood.”

Reslow recalls how the pirates returned three times to raid his boat and steal his possessions. He injured one of the attacker’s thumbs during the ensuing fight, which “angered” the assailant. Reslow was then beaten up several times by the attackers and stabbed in the stomach with a knife.

Despite his stab wound, Reslow says he managed to chase the pirates into the water with a hammer before firing emergency flares at them to ensure they kept away.

The unassailable Reslow recounts how he then swiftly set about preparing a Molotov cocktail on his boat, “in case they should come back”.

Reslow, frightened for his life, still had his phone, and he sent his longitude and latitude to a friend in Sweden, who contacted the Swedish rescue services. In turn, the Swedish rescue services contacted the Columbian coastguard to alert them to the situation.

After around an hour, Reslow heard engines nearby and feared the attackers had returned. However, he found, to his relief, it was the coastguard looking to tow him back to safety in Santa Marta.

Reslow spent one night in hospital and is now recovering in the marina, where he can stay for free until he can continue sailing.

Despite successfully driving the pirates away, the attackers stole nearly everything from Reslow’s vessel, including cables, a battery, tools, spare parts, fenders, and engine parts. “They destroyed my electric system,” he says.

Reslow says his biggest loss in the ordeal has been the sewing machine he uses to provide a modest income, sewing biminis, sprayhoods, lazy bags and covers for other sailors. Reslow lives on a monthly pension of US$230 in addition to his sewing income.

After word of his plight got out, Jens Brambusch (sailor and owner of the Sailing Dilly-Dally page) launched a GoFundMe page to help Reslow replace his sewing machine to ensure his future income.

So far, the campaign has raised kr40,275 (£34,600) — dwarfing the original kr5,000 (£380) target.

“I must say the sailing community has helped me a lot,” Reslow says. “I am really touched by all the help I have got. I’ve been given painkillers, needles to repair my sails, and many other things. It puts me in a good mood again.”

Reslow says he plans to continue his journey, sailing north before turning west — “staying away from the Colombia coast as much as possible.”

Main image, screenshot courtesy of Sailing Dilly-Dally.